I’ve always believed that video game music forges a special bond with the player. You generally spend so much time with those themes repeating themselves into your head that you can’t help to react to them when you hear them in a different context.
That emotional attachment is probably why the Video Games Live tour has been so successful. People flock to it whenever the tour stops in their city and now, eight years after the concert series launched, it’s getting a special on PBS on August 1st. From the PBS press release:
“I’m hoping that this project will have a positive impact on the perception of video games by the non-gaming world,” said veteran video game composer and Video Games Live CEO/Executive Producer Tommy Tallarico. “The reason we created Video Games Live over eight years ago was to prove to the world how culturally significant and artistic video games have become. The goal was to create a show for everyone whether they play games or not. The fact that all of the game publishers have come on board with this project to help our mission says a lot about the future of gaming and how much they believe in Video Games Live.”
The special will feature music from Mario, Zelda, Halo, Warcraft, Castlevania and God of War games. Old-school classics like Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy and Sonic will be represented, too. Check your local listings and be sure to set the DVR. This should be pretty awesome.